Tours to Jodhpur, Rajasthan

The cobalt blue colour decorating the houses of old Jodhpur is said to denote the homes of members of the Brahmin, or priestly, caste. But in truth, the hue was more likely to have been derived from copper-sulphate (traditionally added to white limewash to deter termites). Whatever the explanation, the effect is fabulous  – especially when surveyed from the ramparts of Mehrangarh fort, one of India’s most imposing buildings, which towers over the blue city like a vision from Gorhemghast.  On the outskirts, the Maharajah of Jodhpur’s staggeringly ostentatious Art-Deco palace is another must-see, along with the outlying villages of the Bishnoi minority community.